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Grobe is new Razorback coach Wednesday, Dec 5, 2007 By Harry King Arkansas News Bureau FAYETTEVILLE - Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe is going to be the next football coach at the University of Arkansas and is likely to be introduced on Thursday. The board of the Razorback Foundation met briefly via conference call Wednesday evening and approved a salary supplement for Grobe, who just completed his seventh season at Wake Forest. There is a strong likelihood that Grobe will be paid more than former coach Houston Nutt, but details of the salary package were not immediately available. A coach's salary from state funds is limited so the Foundation must agree to guarantee any other money that is promised a coach. For instance, former Razorback coach Houston Nutt received a state salary of $330,000, but his total package was about $1.5 million. Among other things, Nutt was guaranteed $600,000 for radio-TV and $250,000 for speaking engagements. The foundation would not be asked to approve a specific compensation package unless Grobe had agreed to the deal. The process was evident on Monday night, when the board was supposed to meet to approve money for Clemson coach Tommy Bowden. The meeting was postponed twice and then canceled when Bowden agreed to a contract extension at Clemson. At one point, it appeared the foundation would bump Bowden's salary so he could personally take care of a buyout at Clemson. The same process could be in play with Grobe, who reportedly has a buyout of $2 million., It is believed that Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long zeroed in on Bowden and Grobe as his top two choices in the days after Nutt resigned. People very interested in the search were told that Long would hire the best head coach available. Grobe has a 45-39 record at Wake Forest, including an 11-3 Orange Bowl team last year and 8-4 team this year headed for the Meineke Bowl. Following last year, he signed an extension through 2016 for what was believed to be about $1.1 million per year. |
